


Ài zuòwéi nǐ bì : Or Love As Thou Wilt

by SweetHoney1085



Category: Firefly, Kushiel's Legacy - Jacqueline Carey
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-10
Updated: 2016-02-16
Packaged: 2018-03-22 05:31:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3716941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetHoney1085/pseuds/SweetHoney1085
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the crew of Serenity gets a new job, they have to go to the Planet of Terre D'Ange. Each of them go off on their own adventures, and learn about Blessed Elua's Precept and the Service of Naamah in their own ways.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

“We break atmo in approximately 12 minutes Captain.” Wash was lowering Serenity nearer and nearer to the planet’s surface. The crew had a job to do, though Mal wasn’t quite sure why he was going to some gorram moon on the other side of the ‘verse just to pick a couple of daises. Badger hadn’t expounded much on why these flowers were so important, or so valuable, he had just told the Captain that he was willing to pay top dollar for them. Shiny, Mal thought, as he had heard that the planet of Terre D’Ange was one to be luxuriating on. 

They finally settled the boat on a landing pad in the middle of the Capitol. The City of Elua, they called it, and it was a mighty fine looking city at that. Proper looking, like a Central Planet, under the Alliance’s control, but this planet was too far out in the ‘verse for that kind of interference. Good thing too, with the bounty on the heads of two of his crew members, Mal didn’t want to be anywhere near true civilization. 

Plenty of natives had come out to greet the crew, as this was a planet mostly known as a tourist destination. Still, the general understanding was that the D’Angelines, as they called themselves, were a very private people. 

This was a lush moon, to be sure. The terraforming had taken well on this planet, and it was all green, and had several large bodies of water. It reminded Mal of the pictures he had seen of Earth That Was. There were many dark blue flags flying, with a silver swan embroidered on them, the Royal Family’s crest of arms. 

“All right everybody,” Mal began, addressing his entire crew, “this here is a free day for most of you, as we’re aiming to set up a permanent trade agreement with the locals. I’ve heard tell there’s some thirteen pleasure houses in the city you can partake of yourselves in, and some temples too for those of you that are less inclined.”

The crew responded to the Captain’s announcement in turn. Kaylee was practically jumping up and down, while Jayne looked as though he was standing before a buffet table; which in a manner of speaking, he was. Wash and Zoey held hands, and kept looking fervently into each other’s eyes. Shepard Book was standing at the ready, his worn Bible in his hands. Simon stood solemnly, while River was looking expectantly at the door, waiting for it to open. And Inara was standing in what appeared to be a casual manner, though her very presence was filled with grace and poise. 

One by one, they left Serenity, and each went their separate ways.


	2. Kaylee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaylee visits the Jasmine House, who believed that Naamah slept with the King of Persis for Pleasure's Sake.

Kaylee found herself traveling down walkways in the Court of the Night Blooming Flowers, and couldn’t help but be taken by how pretty everyone was. Every person she passed was more beautiful that the last, with their hair long and gently curling, their mouths full and sensuous, their skin free of any imperfection. They were all dressed in the fanciest frippery she had ever seen, some wearing layers of tulle and chiffon, others in dresses that clung to their skin, showing off the womanly curves that were hidden beneath. 

Eventually, Kaylee walked up to one of the houses, Jasmine. There was a beautiful flower carved on the wooden sign hanging outside, and the words beneath it read “For Pleasure’s Sake”. Well, Kaylee could think of nothing better than pleasure on a day like today, so she entered the dwelling, a small knot of anticipation in her stomach. 

Inside, it was bright and clear, there were large windows in the front parlor that let in much natural light. There were large, white couches for lounging upon, and they had soft plush yellow pillows adorning them. There was a tall woman who greeted Kaylee at the entrance. Her skin was the color of honey, and her hair was black as the emptiness of space. Her eyes shone, brown and luminous. She was dressed in a long, flowing white gown. 

“Good day, traveler. I am Sephira, the Dowayne of this house.”

Kaylee smiled and extended her hand, “Hello! I’m Kaylee Frye, and well…this is my first time here I guess.”

The Dowayne smiled, and accepted Kaylee’s hand, grasping it gently. 

“Welcome to Jasmine. We are so pleased that you have chosen to patronize our house.”

Sephira explained to Kaylee how her time there would be spent, she would have an assignation, as it was called, with her choice of adepts. She could chose man or woman, and as many as she desired. Upon completion, Kaylee was urged to provide a “patron gift,” which seemed to be a fancy word for gratuity, to those adepts who had serviced her. Kaylee was told that this was a holy calling for the adepts, and that they found exquisite pleasure in pleasing others, she would not leave Jasmine House dissatisfied. Some 13 adepts entered the room while Kaylee sat on the settee, comfortably sipping at some type of pale brown liquor, which was sweet and also a little spicy. Perry brandy, the Dowayne had called it. 

After a good deal of careful consideration, Kaylee has narrowed her choice of adepts down to two, a male and a female. The male was a good foot taller than her, and he had shoulder length brown hair, and the same brown eyes as the others. His though, seemed to show a spark of intelligence that reminded her of Simon. The girl was also taller than Kaylee, but only by an inch or two. Her hair went all the way down to her waist, and hung a luscious curls. Her eyes were large, they reminded Kaylee slightly of the other Tam sibling, dark and tremulous.

“It’s just so hard to decide,” Kaylee pouted, looking between the two adepts that stood before her. “You’re both so…pretty, I don’t know how to pick.”

Dowayne Sephira nodded, and smiled indulgently, “As it is your first visit to our planet, may I suggest that you treat yourself, and contract with both of them, Lady Frye?”

Kaylee considered for a minute or two, but the idea began to take root in her, blossoming like a flower. She liked the thought of it. She nodded her head resolutely and agreed. After filling out the necessary paperwork and paying her patronage fees, Kaylee was taken to a private bathing chamber, with a large bed on the other side of the room. Her two adepts, Emmeline and Julien, joined her. Kaylee was wearing black pants and a bright pink floral shirt, both were quickly and expertly removed, so that she stood naked in the room. A hot bath was drawn, and Kaylee sank into it slowly. 

“Shénshèng de gǒu shǐ, that feels so good! I haven’t had an actual bath since I lived on Kowlonshi with my folks! It’s just been all showers and such since then, and cold ones most of the time at that!”

The water was perfumed with flowers and oils, and Kaylee laid in it, the water going all the way up to her neck, and steam rising from its surface. Emmeline and Julien removed their own clothes, and stood before her. Emmeline had such a delicate graceful body, while Julien was hard and firm. They both had odd tattoos thar started up their backs, but both seemed to stop abruptly, as though they were unfinished.   
Emmeline took Kaylee’s hair out of the bun that it had been in on the top of her head. She palmed some soap from a jar and began working it into a lather, rubbing it into Kaylee’s hair. Julien took a different soap from a shelf and began robbing it into her feet. Kaylee sighed with deep contentment. She had always wondered how Inara’s clients felt, and she was pretty sure that this was in the same realm. 

As Emmeline’s hands began to drift down Kaylee’s shoulders and to her breasts, Julien’s ventured higher, massaging her calves, then up to her inner thighs. Kaylee began to give small sighs of pleasure, so Julien took her hand, and helped her out of the bath. She was dried off with the softest towel that she had ever felt on her skin. Each adept took one of her hands as they led her to the large bed that was on the other side of the room. 

Kaylee laid back down onto the bed, resting her head on a plump pillow. Emmeline brushed a stray lock of hair from Kaylee’s face, and smiled sweetly at her. She leaned down, and pressed her lips against Kaylee’s. Her hands found themselves again on Kaylee’s breasts squeezing them, pinching and twisting her nipples ever so gently, until they formed stiff little peaks. Kaylee raised her arms up over her head, moaning aloud with pleasure. Julien too returned to his former place between her thighs, rubbing them again, this time with a fragrant oil. Emmeline’s hands were soft and gentle, while Julien’s were firm and strong. The difference in sensations took Kaylee by surprise, she was having difficulty focusing on any one part of her body. 

Emmeline began kissing along her neckline, and Kaylee felt her skin prick at her touch. It tickled slightly, but it also reminded her a little of the static shock Serenity sometimes gave her when she touched a live wire. Each kiss felt electric, and Kaylee found her hands in Emmeline’s hair, pulling her closer. Julien’s hands worked their way further up her body, until his fingers were tracing around the outline of her feminine folds. Not quite touching just where she wanted, Kaylee’s hips began to thrust forward in quick, jerking movements. When a single finger slipped between her lips, already slick with anticipation, Kaylee whimpered softly. 

Her thighs quivered as he continued to work her in a slow, deliberate fashion. Emmeline’s mouth had moved lower, and was suckling upon Kaylee’s taut nipples, flicking her tongue over them quickly, and nipping gently at them with her teeth. It was as though there were electrical sparks running through her whole body, every bite and suck sent a current of energy to her pulsing nether regions, and the pleasure there was mounting steadily. 

When Julien finally dipped his head down and tasted her core, Kaylee’s entire being began to shake. She couldn’t stop her hips from undulating under his ministrations, and Julien needed to use his strong hands to hold her in place. He drove his tongue deep inside her, and murmured against her skin with enjoyment. He drew back, and licked at the little bud of flesh where all of her pleasure seemed to concentrate.  
“We call this Naamah’s Pearl,” he whispered, as he lifted the little hood there and swirled his tongue gently over it. Kaylee gasped loudly, it had been so long, far too long, since anyone had touched her like this. She’d had her fantasies about Simon, sure, and even Inara when she was taking care of herself in private, but how she had missed this simple human act…Julien slid two fingers inside of her now, and moved them in and out of her skillfully as he continued to suck and lick on her Naamah’s Pearl. Emmeline’s tongue traced the lines of Kaylee’s writhing form. 

Kaylee started experiencing a tingling feeling in her extremities as the orgasm built in her belly. All her blood was rushing to her core, and she could feel her feet flexing, her toes curling, and her legs kicking spastically. Her hips bucked wildly under his tongue, and he wrapped his big arms around her waist to hold her steady. 

Finally, pleasure hit Kaylee in wave after wave. Her whole body rushed with sensation, she could feel every inch of her skin with excruciating awareness. Kaylee screamed into a pillow, which she had smothered her own face with at some unmemorable point. The noise that came out of her were a wordless howl, she had forgotten how to speak English, and Chinese. She had even forgotten how to speak to machines. All the Kaylee knew was the feeling of ecstasy coursing through her veins like blood, thick with that Perry brandy she had drank so long ago. 

Finally, the pleasure subsided, and her body went slack. Kaylee curled into a ball, giggling uncontrollably. “Stop, stop, stop!!” she laughed, her tender flushed and sensitive to the touch. Julien let go of her hips, and lowered them slowly up the bed. Emmeline rested her soft head on Kaylee’s breast, and trailed her fingers along the lowest part of Kaylee’s stomach, just above her mound. Kaylee sighed happily, and wriggled her hips just slightly, burrowing deeper into the bed. Julien took his place above her, and began stroking her hair. 

“Zhè jiùshì mìng,” Kaylee murmured happily into is chest, as her satiated body fell into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> Shénshèng de gǒu shǐ: Holy Shit
> 
> Zhè jiùshì mìng: This is the life


	3. Inara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inara goes to the Temple of Naamah, and learns the history of the D'Angelines, as well as what it truly means to be a Servant of Naamah.

Inara wandered the city aimlessly. She had heard of Terre d’Ange before, every companion had. She had never thought to actually visit the planet though. It was out in the depths of space, and she had never truly planned to travel so far from Sihnon. This planet reminded her slightly of her home, it was prosperous and beautiful. Still, Lu’Weng, the capitol city of Sihnon, was much more metropolitan, and The City of Elua was far simpler. Such was the lot of a Border Planet. 

Inara had decided to stay away from Mont Nuit, where the pleasure houses were located. She had no need to pay for others to bed her, in fact the very reverse of that was true. Inara Serra was a Registered Companion, and she had been raised in a fashion very like these D’Angelines. Still, she found herself curious about their beliefs. Only the broadest details of D’Angeline culture and history were taught in the Companion House Madrassa, where Inara had studied from the age of 12. The children here began their studies at 10, if she was not mistaken. Eventually, Inara found herself walking alongside the Aviline River, which bordered the Temple District. There was a wall of bushes that caught her attention, high and vibrant green. Inside of the fence sat a small temple, made of white marble columns, with large empty spaces on the top to allow sunlight in. 

Inara entered the temple, and saw at its entrance a large bronze stature of the angel Naamah, the companion of these people’s deity, Elua. She was the one who had taken men and women to her bed, that Elua and his other companions might have food to eat and a place to lie their heads. The statue was of a tall, shapely woman, her arms opened in welcome. There were doves everywhere, this seemed to be their roost. Several men and women walked around the courtyard, as well as inside of the temple proper. Most of them were clothed in long, flowing robes of red. Inara took this to be the garb of a priest or priestess.   
Upon entering the temple, a young woman of some 23 years walked forward, wearing the red habit. 

“Welcome pilgrim, to the Temple of Naamah. Do you come seeking her blessing?”

Inara sank in a curtsy before the priestess, “I come seeking knowledge, your holiness. I wish to know more about your culture, and this one that you call Blessed Elua. I would know, if you are willing to share, the history of Naamah, and of your people.”

The priestess smiled and inclined her head. She raised an arm, gesturing Inara deeper into the temple. They eventually wound up in a small room, where there was a dais covered in red pillows. The pillows were made of satin, and velvet, and some were covered in animal fur of deep russet. Inara situated herself on a pile of pillows, leaning back comfortably, and was well supported. There was a small round table at the center of the dais, and there was a teapot with two china glasses sitting on top of it. The priestess bowed slightly at the waist, and then took her leave. Inara was left alone for only a few minutes before a wizened woman entered the room, and sat on a low chair across the table. Her hair was silver streaked with apricot, while her eyes were apple-green and sparkled like gems. 

“I am Amarante of Namarre, and I am the Head Priestess of Naamah’s Order, like my mother before me, and hers before her. It a name that is passed down through the generations, along with the mantle; should we choose to accept it. I have served the sovereign of our planet, as her personal companion, and I have taken many others in my goddess’s name.” 

“I am Inara Serra, my lady, and I am -”

“I know who you are Lady Serra, and I know what you are about. One does not serve Naamah for as many years as I and is then unable to recognize another of Her servants on sight. I hear that you have come to know our history, and though it is a sacred truth I speak of, it is not one that we tend to share with outsiders. You, however, have the air of a supplicant, and I believe that you would benefit from our history. Besides, as one of theBelssed Elua’s companions, the angel Shemhazai, once said, ‘All knowledge is worth having’. I wonder though, what will you do with such knowledge once you possess it?”

Inara responded in a measured voice, “I have no plans for what I will do with your history. It is not as though I have any ulterior motives in seeking it. I am truly humbled that you would share with me whatever you will.”

“Once, on Earth That Was, many millennia ago, there was a man named Yeshua Ben Joseph, and to an entire people he was the Messiah, the Savior. I believe on other planets he is worshiped still?”  
Inara nodded her head in assent.

“Well and good, for he was to be the sire of Blessed Elua. When he was crucified upon the cross, betrayed by his followers and slain for his good works and teachings, his blood hit the soil of the Mother Earth. There, the Magdalene’s tears mixed with the blood, and from the womb of Earth That Was, sprang Blessed Elua, fully formed. He was the Earth’s most precious son, and the most cherished of angels.   
The Yeshuites abjured him though, they reviled him as an abomination. For though he came from the blood of their Messiah, he too had come from a woman’s grief, and had been borne of the Earth herself.   
Blessed Elua walked the planet, sharing with all who would listen his precept: Love as thou wilt. He had no taste for mortal politics or wars, Blessed Elua. He merely bade us as a people to follow our hearts, to accept and give love whenever and wherever we could. Flowers grew from his footprints. 

Of course, not all who heard his words had ears that were willing to hear. In Persis, Elua was taken captive by the King, as was to be put to death like his father before him. He was prisoned there, and was kept in captivity for the days leading up to his execution. Many angels tried to appeal to the One God, that he might intervene and save Elua as he had once saved Yeshua, but the One God turned his head from his son’s get, and offered him no aide. The tale of his wandering, and of his teachings, had reached the halls of Heaven though, and the prayers he sung reached the ears of the hierarchy of angels. 

Among those that heard him, Naamah was the first to respond. It was she who went to the King of Persis, and offered herself to him for one night, that Blessed Elua might again walk free. She came to him with her eyes cast downward, and with her heart full. When Elua was released the next day, there were vines covering the inside of his cell, and flowers grew everywhere. 

Other angels followed Naamah’s example, and left the side of the One God, to be companions to Elua. Those that came to him were Anael, the Good Shepard, Camael, who carried a flaming sword, Eisheth, the healer, Shemhazai, who valued knowledge and taught us written language, Azza, the prideful, and Kushiel, the punisher. Last of all Elua’s companions came Cassiel, also called The Perfect Companion. It was Cassiel who took up the duty that the One God had shirked, and vowed to protect and serve Elua, to damnation and beyond. 

The King of Persis was displeased that so many of God’s angels had come to his country, as he was a simple man with little scope. He betrayed his covenant with Naamah, and dosed Elua and his companions with a strong drink, laced with valerian. While they slept, he had them placed on a boat and sent them adrift on the sea. When they awoke, Blessed Elua sang, and his voice compelled the creatures of the sea to rise up, and guide their boat safely to the shores of Bhodistan. The denizens of Bhodistan were an ancient people even then, and they would not leave their multitudes of gods to follow Elua, but they recognized that he was divine, and thus did they vow not to harm him. 

When Blessed Elua went hungry, when he had need of a pillow upon which to lay his head, Naamah would lay down with strangers in the marketplace for coin. 

And so they traveled north, through Tiroc Pass, and Skaldia as well, until they reached the fertile lands of Terre d’Ange, though it had not yet been named such. It was a country with many hills and valleys, where melon grew, and grapes and olives too. The fields were covered with lavender, even before Elua’s feet had touched our soil. There was a nation of people who dwelled there, and they accepted Blessed Elua with open arms. 

Elua and his companions settled into this land, and mated with its inhabitants. From their love grew a race of people, the D’Angelines. We are beautiful to behold, and have many gifts. Only Cassiel abstained from coupling with the D’Angelines. He remained Elua’s Perfect Companion, celibate and pure. 

Eventually, the songs of Elua and His companions reached the ears of the One God, and he turned back to his grandson. He sent his commander-in chief to fetch Him, and return to the One God’s Heaven with his companions. But Blessed Elua refused, scoring his hand instead with Cassiel’s blade. ‘My grandfather’s Heaven is bloodless,’ he spoke, ‘and I am not.’

The One God, instead, offered Elua and his companions a better place; one that he created with the mother Earth. The two of them together created Terre d’Ange that lies beyond, a place beyond mortal perception, which we can only enter after passing through the dark gate that leads out of this world. 

Thousands of years later, Earth That Was would become too crowded, as you know, and we were left to travel to the stars to find new homes. We have been truly blessed to find such a planet as this, one that was able to take so well to the terraforming. The planet of Terre d’Ange is so like the small country of our ancestors, so as to be nearly identical. 

In gratitude for Naamah’s sacrifice, many of our citizens choose to become Her servants, and we consecrate our bodies unto Her. Naamah would score the backs of her patrons with her fingernails whilst in the throes of passion, and so we have marques applied with needles an ink, onto our own backs. When an adept joins the Service of Naamah, their body is sold into bondage to their house. With every patron gift they receive, they are able to buy their marque, inch by inch. When at last their marque is made, the adepts is freed from servitude, and can take any kind of occupation they like. Each of the thirteen houses in the Court of the Night Blooming Flowers had a different specialty, and some adepts find employ working in finances, or as a seamstress or artisan of another kind. Some choose to remain in their houses, and instruct the next generation in the carnal arts. Some wed and start families of their own. 

There are also those of us who of course choose to work in the temples. Every temple has its own rites, its own initiations. These are a sacred mystery. In the Temple of Naamah, for example, we must undergo a year’s time when we are not allowed to turn away any patron who comes to us out of pure desire.”

Amarante’s voice had been low and hypnotic, Inara found herself awakening from an almost trance-like state upon the completion of her words. 

“What so, Lady Inara? Do you feel as though you have come to know the holiness of your calling within these walls?”

Inara blushed to the roots of her ebony hair, “I would never presume to call what I do…holy…And for you Lady Amarante, it most certainly is. I have taken many patrons of my own, but I have no marque upon my back, and I have sworn no vows.”

“Do you feel the blessing of Her passion in your heart when you lie with another?”

“Yes, of course. I couldn’t do what I do if I did not.”

“Then, I think, you are a Servant of Naamah as well, but in your own way. You may have taken no vows, and your back might be unscathed, but she works within you, as does Blessed Elua. I will ask nothing from you Lady Inara, there are no promises with which I wish to bind you. I merely ask you this: Allow Blessed Elua’s precept to enter your heart. Love as thou wilt, my child, and do not turn away from your own happiness.” 

Inara’s mouth quirked slightly at this, the Priestess Amarante had indeed seen within her this day. There was someone that she had been thinking of, and she had denied her own desires for far too long. Amarante placed her hands on Inara’s head in blessing and then left her there, still sipping on her tea, lost in thought. 

After a time, she decided to leave the temple. She had been left undisturbed by the other priests and priestesses, but she could not help but feel that she was intruding on consecrated ground. As Inara left the temple, she stopped again at the statue of Naamah in the garden. She removed a small bracelet from about her wrist, and laid it at the angel’s feet in offering. Inara leaned down, and kissed the bronze foot, warm from the summer sun. She bowed deeply, and walked back out to the Temple District. She still had some hours left before she was expected back at the ship, and she now had many things to ponder…


	4. Shepherd Book

Shepherd Book walked with a purpose. As soon as the Captain had announced to the crew that they would be landing on Terre d’Ange, he had known where he wanted to visit the most. No, not the brothels. He was a man of God, and did not give in to his more base desires. For Derrial Book, there was only one part of the City to visit. He had heard tell of the Cassiline Knights, a Brotherhood of warrior priests, who followed the Angel Cassiel, and who were well known for acumen with their blades. 

Book had been walking the streets for over an hour though, and he couldn’t seem to find a Temple for the Cassilines. He had passed Temples dedicated to Naamah, and Elua, Shemhazai and Anael, but nowhere in this City did there seem to be a Temple for those followers of Cassiel. He crossed the barrier that separated the Temple district from the part of the City where the pleasure houses lay. He had no plans to visit one, of course, but perhaps there was someone there who could help him find his way. 

He eventually stood outside of an establishment, in a decidedly grimier part of the City. There was a large sign which had the name of the place, The Cockerel, painted on it. Book grasped his Bible a little tighter, then pushed the door opened and entered. 

It was a lively joint, that much was for certain. All around him sat large groups of men, and some women to be sure as well, socializing with one another. Games of dice, or cards were found on nearly every table. Everyone had a drink in their hand. Book realized quickly that he had stumbled into a pub of some sort. Alright by him, as all the walking and searching had left him with a powerful thirst for something wet.   
He walked up to the bar, and took a seat on one of the high stools there. The bartender walked up, a large white smile painted upon his face.

“What’ll it be?”

“What have you got?”

“Wine, mostly, and ale too, of course. Some uisghe from across the Straights if you’ve the stomach for it. If it’s joie you’re looking for, you’d be better off going into the Palace District, they serve the fancier stuff there.”

“I believe I’ll stick with water for now, if you have it.”

The bartender nodded, and went to retrieve the Shepherd’s drink.

A young man with dark skin and jet black hair, which hung in unruly curls, sidled up alongside Book then, taking up residence in the vacant seat to his right. Book nodded his head, acknowledging his presence.  
“It’s not often we see a gadjo like you here in Night’s Doorstep,” he commented casually, his eyes roaming over Book appraisingly.

“Night’s Doorstep?”

“It’s the boundary that separates Mont Nuit from the Temple District, and the rest of the City.”

Book looked at the young man, still not quite comprehending. 

Sighing with the exasperation of talking to a tourist, and running his hands through his hair and said, “Mont Nuit? It’s where the Night Court of the Blooming Flowers is? You know, the pleasure houses?”

The Shepherd’s eyes lit up, understanding now, “Ah, so this…Night’s Doorstep…acts as something of a barrier I take it?”

“Something like that. Why are you dressed like a Cassiline anyway?”

Book looked down at himself and laughed. It was true, from what he had heard, he was dressed something like a Cassiline. They were said to wear grey robes and pants, which were very like his own grey shirt, which he always kept buttoned up around his throat. His pants were black though, and he had no vambrances strapped to his forearms. He carried no weapons that would make his instantly recognizable as a warrior priest, but then again, well he could see the resemblance. 

“I am no Cassiline Brother, but I am a Shepherd of some sorts. Which I suppose is not quite the same thing. Different vows and such.”

They sat in silence for a spell, and then the younger man turned and faced Book full on. He smiled, his teeth gleaming white against his face. He stuck out his hand in introduction.

“I’m Csavin, son of Abhirati.”

“I’m called Book,” he said, shifting his body to better make Csavin’s acquaintance. He took the young man’s hand, and shook it firmly.

The bartender came and dropped off the water. Book took a drink, and saw Csavin looking at him with disapproval. 

“There’s no way I’m going to let my bar-mate spend the evening drinking some water,” he said the last word derisively, “gadjo Shepherd or not. Miniiki! Come back over here!”

The bartender returned, and looked at Csavin expectantly.

“It seems I have won a bet with my fellow Tsingani, he may not be a Cassiline, but he is some kind of a priest. So, pay up! A jug of your finest wine, for me to share with my new friend here.”

Book tried to politely dissuade the Tsingani from ordering the wine, he rarely allowed himself to become intoxicated. Csavin insisted, however, and eventually the Shepherd gave in. A large jug of wine was placed between the men, and two tin cups as well. The bartender filled their cups, and both men drank the wine in front of them in a long, single draught. 

“Again!” Csavin demanded, pounding down his open hand on the counter, his dark eyes shining merrily. The cups were refilled, and again the men drained them. Book was starting to feel a tingling in his extremities, and his head was growing light. 

The remainder of the afternoon passed by in something of a blur for the Shepherd, though he would later find a small pouch of D’Angeline coin in his pocket and remember acquiring it in a hand of cards that fell in his considerable favor. There had been some talk about taking Book up to Mont Nuit and getting him an assignation with his winnings, but he had somehow managed to convince his new companion otherwise.   
As the sun began to set over Night’s Doorstep, Book found himself walking, though it may have been on less than steady legs, back home to Serenity. He was alone on the ship, and fell onto his bunk where he quickly slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	5. Simon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simon goes to the Academy of Occult Sciences, seeking knowledge. The things he learns there though, are not what he expected...

Simon had been much enjoying his afternoon walking around the Market District of the City of Terre D’Ange. He had already picked up souvenirs for both River and Kaylee. For River he had bought a delicate little necklace, made of gold wire which was wrapped around some small colored stones, and it shone when he had held it to the light. Kaylee’s gift was of a small box of peaches, fresh from someplace called Siovale. He could just picture Kaylee biting into one of the ripe, juicy peaches, juice spilling down her chin…

Simon had also made a small purchase for himself in one of the book shops he had discovered, a copy of The Euline Cycle, which he was told recounted the journeys and teachings of Blessed Elua back on Earth that Was. 

He had only spent two hours of his day, but already Simon had seemingly run out of things to do. He didn’t want to go to one of the pleasure houses that the Captain had mentioned, not being one who had ever felt comfortable paying for sex. There had been that one time back when he was in med school when he had contracted with a companion, but that was more the exception than the rule. 

That was when he saw it. Several hundred yards before him stood a gigantic structure, one of the largest buildings Simon had ever seen. He walked closer to it, feeling compelled. As he grew neared, he was able to make out the name of the building. Etched in huge gilt lettering across the top, it read “Academy of Occult Sciences”. In smaller print, this time on the side of the entrance, were the words “All Knowledge is Worth Having”.

Intrigued, Simon entered the building, walking under a large archway and into the atrium. There was an attractive young blonde woman seated behind a desk reading. She wore spectacles before her luminous blue eyes, and there was a little placard on top if that said “Information”. Simon walked over to her and cleared his throat to get her attention. 

“Ahem…”

“Yes? How can I help you sir?”

“I’m a…visitor, from a cargo ship that is currently stationed on your planet. I stumbled across this University, and as I’m something of a scholar myself, I wanted to come and possibly get a tour of the grounds?”

The young woman glanced down and chuckled as his suggestion, when she looked back up at him through her thick lashes, the look she gave him was bemused.

“Being as you’re not from around here, you’ll not know, but we don’t give ‘tours’, unless of course it’s to a prospective student. The subjects studied here are too sensitive for outsiders to know about.”

Simon pondered for a moment, then his mouth quirked slightly, “What about ‘All Knowledge is Worth Having’?”

“Haha! Do you truly think you’re the first visitor to Shemhazai’s words on me? I’ve heard that attempt before, several times, by many a visitor form the stars. Not from one as comely as you before though…”

The woman trailed off, her eyes taking all of Simon in at once, her gaze lingering on his pants. Remembering what little he knew about D’Angeline culture, specifically that they were something like Bonobo Monkeys as far as relations went. Knowing he could likely use this information to his advantage, Simon leaned in, and tucked a bit of hair behind her ear, causally running him thumb over her cheek in the process. He flashed his winningest smile, and put his weight on his elbow, which he had rested on the desk. 

“Well, maybe I’d like a more…private tour? What’s your name anyway?”

The girl seemed on the brink of answering, when Simon’s feet slipped out from under him, and he instead tumbled forward, slamming his chin down hard on the desk, then dropping down to his knees.

A spark of amusement flashed in her eyes, and she chuckled slightly. 

“They call me Janelle Ansout. And howso are you called stranger?” She leaned back in her chair as she asked him. 

“I am Simon, Simon Tamm,” He struggled back to his feet, his face flushing a little.

“Tamm? Why does that name sound so familiar?”

With that, Janelle pulled up a database with her palms and the screen appeared before her face. She began swiping through, and finally landed on a screen showing Simon’s exact likeness, albeit slightly less red. What was red, however, was the bar beneath his face, which read in unmistakably large letters 

FUGITIVE

“Well, milord Tamm, it seems that you are something more than a traveling scholar…would you like to tell me why The Alliance is so keen on getting their hands on you?”

Simon looked furvitivly around him, obviously panicked now. 

“I…I..I should go,” he stammered out, “I never should have come here, Kěwù I was so stupid to have ever left the ship!”

He slammed his palm into his forehead and began looking to make a hasty exit, backing away from the information desk as quickly as he could, and tripping over his own feet again in the process. Simon fell directly on his rear end this time, and Janelle quickly and gracefully rose from her seat to help him up.

“There is no need to run, milord Tamm. We on Terre D’Ange are technically a part of the Outer Rim, and are not obligated to send any information on our visitors to The Alliance. I’m curious to know your story, and how you came to be such an important fugitive to them. Should your story be of enough interest to me, I might be persuaded to give you a very deciduous tour of our University.”

She placed a small placard on her desk, indicating that she would return soon, and she took Simon to a small room, in which many books were shelved. He took a seat on a dark wooden chair that was stuffed quite plushy, and covered in a deep green velvet. It reminded Simon of his home back on Osiris, and the kinds of furnishings that he had grown up with. The surprising feeling of homesickness grew in his chest, causing a small knot to begin in his throat. 

“Your story, milord Tamm?”

Janelle had a small tablet in her hand, and was clearly taking his dictation. For what purpose, he had no idea, but after the lump in his throat cleared, he began to speak.

“My sister, her name is River. And well, it is a very long story. Suffice it to say, that I am considered a genius. ‘Gifted’ is the word they used when I was a child. I was in the top three percentage of my graduating class at MedAcad on Osiris, which is a central planet. I was eventually placed in residency in a major hospital in Capital City as a trauma surgeon.

I don’t say any of this to brag, but merely to make a comparison. See, when I tell you that my sister River makes me look like an idiot child, I want you to grasp my full meaning. From the time when we were children, she could dance circles around me, both literally and figuratively. Advanced calculous, physics, nero-biology, dance…they all came as easily to her as breathing does to us. 

When River was about 14-years old, she was accepted to an Academy run by the Alliance. It was the most challenging program, the one she was the most excited by. Money was no object to our family, and so of course we sent her off. For months, we received no contact from her, but them slowly the letters started trickling in. they were…they weren’t from my sister, or at least not from the River that I knew. Words were misspelled, the grammar was all wrong. She talked about trips we had never been on, and jokes we had never told. 

It took some time, nut eventually I was able to decode the letters, because that’s what they were, a code. The message simply read ‘They’re hurting us. Help.’

Your Elua says that we should place love above all other things, and that is exactly what I did. I used all the finances and connections I had at my disposal, and they were numerous once upon a time, and I managed to make my way into the ‘Academy’ where she was being held. It was a lab…they were experimenting on her. On her brain as it turns out, and stripping away her amygdala of any ability to block out sensation. My sister, now she feels everything all at the same time. She hears everything, she feels everything…she can’t turn it off. 

My sister was a powerful asset for The Alliance, and we have been on the run from them ever since. I suppose, you could say that my crime against The Alliance is love…wow that sounds so cheesy…”

Janelle’s eyes had begun to water, and silent tears were streaming down her cheeks by the time Simon had finished his tale. 

“No, Simon, not cheesy at all. It is a beautiful story, and one that is indeed full of love and devotion. The love between siblings, between you and your sister especially, is so transcendent that you were able to abandon all else for your love of her, much like the One God’s angels left his side to become Companions of Elua through their love of him. Your fraternal love is honored here Simon Tamm, as Blessed Elua spoke, ‘Lover as thou wilt’. 

You have chosen to love your sister, and to place her above the needs of the rest of the ‘Verse. No one on Terre D’Ange will fault you for this. Rest easily, knowing that you have safe refuge here.”

Simon sat for a moment, absorbing her words. Eventually he too, had tears streaming down his cheeks. 

“I..I haven’t had someone speak to me of love in such a way…ever, I don’t think. My parents disowned me when I went on my quest to save my sister. And now we are flying about the ‘Verse with a ship full of thieves and scavengers; some who would gladly sell us out to The Alliance for a pat on the head and a few gold bars. Your acceptance of my plight is moving to me, and your words have touched my heart Janelle. Thank you.”  
“It is not for nothing that I trained in the Balm House of the Night Court. We are skilled healers, of both the body and the mind. We are taught that all love is sacred. Tell me traveler, how long have you been on the run now?”

Simon ran his fingers through his hair as he counted the weeks, which had turned into months and years more quickly than he had realized.  
“About 2 years now, since we’ve joined the ship Serenity.”

“Ah, I see. Well then, it would seem that, despite your protestations that any one of these thieves or scavengers would sell you out to The Alliance, they have yet to do so. And that is also a form of love. You have been blessed, mesire Tamm, with a surplus of love in your life, and you must take the time to look about yourself and be grateful for that love. Tell me, is there no one aboard your ship that you feel for at all outside of your sister? It would seem you would have taken your leave of this ship by now, had you not.”

Unbidden, an image came to his mind, of long brown hair floating like a halo around a rosy face, with hazel eyes the shape of almonds. Hair that smelled of engine oil and daisies, and a pink shirt under green coveralls. Kaylee, and her smile that always seemed to light up the black. Kaylee and her chocolate protein cakes, which she had made him twice now, always on his birthday. Kaylee Frye. How was it he had never seen it before? Or perhaps he had, of course he had, he was no fool. But his love for River had superseded everything in his life, all his wants and desires and plans had gone out the airlock the moment he had decided that he had to free her. 

Janelle smiled a knowing smile, “mayhap it is time you told her.”

Simon smiled back at her, “mayhap it is.”

The two of them made their way back out to the information desk, and Janelle stood up on her tiptoes, then kissed Simon gently, but squarely on the lips.

“It seems, mesire Tamm,”

“Simon, please.”

“Simon then. It seems, Simon, that you have found the knowledge that you sought here, despite yourself.”

Simon gave her no reply. He was so caught up in realization that bordered on epiphany that he had none to give. 

“Allow me, if you will, to gift you with one more piece of knowledge, sacred to Terre D’Ange,” and with that, she slipped a thin, well-worn volume into his hands. It was a book, like one from Earth that Was, and on the cover was printed in flaking golden letters Trois Mille Joies. 

“It is the seminal instruction book for young D’Angelines in the art of lovemaking. I feel that mayhap it is something that can be put you good use out in the black, between you and your celestial maiden.”

Simon blushed to the roots of his ink black hair then, and he laughed softly, “My thanks to you Janelle. I believe that I can make good use of this indeed. Not now perhaps, but when the time is right…yes. This book will be put to good use.”

“Be careful that you do not wait overlong Simon. The ‘Verse is filled with dangers, not only The Alliance, but others that may seek to do you and your sister harm. If she is indeed as valuable as you say, make certain to keep her well-hidden, but also have a care for yourself and your own heart ere you run out of time.”

Simon made a sweeping bow to Janelle that would not have been out of place in the Royal Court, and took his leave of her. It was true, he had indeed found knowledge within these hallowed halls. Not the knowledge that he had come for, but something much more valuable. As his thoughts lingered on Kaylee, he began his return to the ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kěwù: Goddamit


	6. Zoe and Wash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoe and Wash go to receive a blessing, and to procure a very special candle...

“Come on!!” 

Zoe threw her head back in a laugh as she watched the tall redheaded man dart and bob through the crowd ahead of her. He walked with a purpose through the Temple District, not even bothering to look at the map in his hand. Having memorized the City’s layout long before landing, the map was more of a souvenir for Wash than anything else. 

“Husband, slow down! The Temple isn’t going to disappear in the time it takes for us to get there.”

“But what if they run out of candles?” he asked her urgently, his hands gesticulating above his head excitedly. 

From the moment the Captain had been looking for a new job, Wash had started petitioning to come to Terre D’Ange. It all went back to the conversation they had been having at Nandi’s Ranch at the Heart of Gold Bordello, which was a much older conversation than either of them would care to admit. 

When Mal had asked Zoe for her counsel regarding this job, she had kept quiet about her husband’s ulterior motives for visiting the planet, and instead endorsed the idea whole heartedly.   
“Would be some nice easy cargo sir,” she had said, “ain’t nothing much to moving some pretty flowers. And it might be nice to be on some civilized ground after everything else has happened of late.” 

Mal had eventually agreed with her, and indeed it wasn’t a difficult decision to make. Terre D’Ange was renowned throughout the Outer Rim as one of the shiniest planets one could hope to land on. Terraforming had taken well here, and there were sumptuous valleys and mountains, rivers and even an ocean or two. Normally, Wash would have leapt at the chance to fly his hovercraft around these valleys and rivers, as they were not the kind of sights they were much accustomed to anymore. More common, aside from the never-ending black of space, were dust balls with little in the way of color outside of dirt, lucky to see a lake or rill on the whole planet. 

This time, however, Wash had a specific destination in mind. There were many temples lining the streets of the district, but again her husband knew what he was about and did not falter. When finally he stopped, he was still about a hundred yards ahead of her. He stood, facing the walls of stone and columns of marble, with a spring bubbling up right near the entrance. His face was alight with almost childlike excitement, and he held his hand out, impatient for her to catch up and take it. 

“Eisheth’s Temple…” he said, his voice filled with awe, “you know, they say that the waters here have healing properties! Maybe Simon might be interest-“

“Husband,” she said, cutting him off, “after all of this, is Simon really what you want to be thinking about right now?”

Wash closed his mouth and shook his head rapidly from side to side. Hands clasped together, he began to pull Zoe into the temple proper. There was an effigy of Eisheth kneeling by the spring, with moss growing up from the ground, covering her feet and lower legs in a soft green fuzz; small white votive candles surrounded her. There were several priests and priestesses milling about the courtyard and the interior of the temple, all clad in sea-green robes. There was soft music playing, actual musicians sitting strategically around the temple so that the music, while effusive, was never overwhelming. The smell of lavender hung in the air, Zoe only recognized it because of the sachet her mother had carried when she was a girl back on Vesselside, and it had been stuffed with the same rare flower. It was a scent cultivated to fill one with a sense of calm, and that mixed with Zoe’s own recollection of the smell made her heart soften and glow. She felt like this might be a place of magic and miracles after all. 

A young male priest with long ash grey hair approached them, his eyes a deeper green than the robe he wore, “Welcome, honored guests. How may we offer you Eisheth’s blessing today? Have you need of some healing?”

“The candle!” Wash exclaimed, the words bursting forth from him so that it was obvious he could not contain them, “we want the candle!!”

The priest chuckled slightly, but seemed undisturbed with the urgency in her husband’s voice.

“You come seeking Eisheth’s blessing upon you then, my lady?” he asked, turning his attention to Zoe, “you wish her to open you womb, that new life might be created within?”

Wash’s eyes were shining brightly, as he nodded his head.

“It is for my lady to answer, milord.”

“Yes,” Zoe said, “it is my wish to receive her blessing, and may the gods look kindly on whatever progeny we should bring forth.”

“Even so,” he said, “may that ever be the case. May Blessed Elua and his Companions look kindly on each one of us, and on all the children of the ‘Verse. These are dark days, outside of Terre D’Ange, oh yes we hear tell of stories from many a traveler, and we all need his love and guidance more now than ever before. May he grant you love, and protection as well.”

The priest took Zoe by the hand and began to lead her deeper into the temple. Wash moved to follow them, but the priest put up a hand, “What is to transpire is a mystery that you are not a part of my lord. You have a part to play as well, but it comes after. Come, my lady.”

Wash looked momentarily distressed to be parted from Zoe, but was immediately placated, and tickled even, by the title he had been issued.

“My lord,” he said in an aristocratic voice, “I could get used to the sound of that.”

“Don’t even think about it dear,” Zoe called out over her shoulder. 

Wash paid her no mind though, and went outside the temple to sit by the spring and Eisheth’s effigy. 

The priest left Zoe in a small room, lit with many candles and lanterns. The smell of lavender was even stronger in here, and it caused a tear to come to Zoe’s eye reflexively. 

“Please, remove your clothing, and put on one of the robes in the wardrobe,” he said calmly, gesturing to the large wooden closet against the wall. 

Zoe unclasped her belt, and then stripped off her travel worn brown vest, as well as the long sleeved green shirt she wore beneath it. She sat on the woven chair and tugged to pull off her boots and warm woolen socks, wiggling her toes against the cool fresh air. She stood again to remove her pants, tight and yellow but with enough give that she could move freely when needed. 

She stood there for a moment, and looked at her reflection in the full sized mirror that was in the room with her. She had only a small mirror in her shared bunk on Serenity, and it was rare that she had the opportunity to take in her entire body. Her mocha colored skin was taunt, and the only garment she still wore was her thin black panties, functional and hardly exciting. Her hair, usually tamed in a ponytail was now a wild mass of chocolate curls, framing her face like a lion’s mane. 

Zoe ran her hands over her flat stomach and wondered what it would be like to carry a life inside of her. It was something that she and Wash had spoken about for a good long time, well, mostly they had argued about it. Wash wanted children, god knew he did, and truth be told, Zoe did as well. But the life they led, it was so full of danger and there was so much to fear, The Alliance, Reavers, any stray bullet (and there was no lack of those lately). But in the end, Wash had won out, like he did when things were important. 

Zoe was still unsure about what lay ahead, but she knew that as long as she and Wash were in it together, all would be okay.

Finally, she removed her panties as well, and slid on the white robe over her shoulders, enjoying the light smooth feeling of the fresh linen. She was so used to more heavy duty garb, the kind that protects from bullets, or keeps out the icy cold of space, and such finery was unfamiliar to her. Almost as soon as she had donned the robe, a priestess, this one old but still erect came for her. 

The priestess was wearing the same sea green robes as the priest had before, but she had a veil that covered her hair as well. Still, wisps of silver could be seen peeking through. Her wizened face could have told a million stories had Zoe the time; each crease and wrinkle told a tale of love given, of blessings offered, and of a life well lived in service to her goddess.   
She led Zoe into an inner room, where there was a pool of water. She opened the robe, revealing Zoe’s form beneath it. Her fingers lingered momentarily on the shoestring that Zoey wore about her neck. When taking off her clothes, it had never even occurred to her to remove the shoestring. She never took it off, it was as much a part of her as her own heart. The string had originally been a shoelace on one of her boots during the Unification War, but once the war had ended she had taken the lace to wear around her neck in remembrance, much in the same way the Captain had named their ship after the Battle of Serenity Valley. Having never been one for jewelry, when she and Wash had married, the necklace had changed its meaning, and now she wore it to symbolize their union. 

“There is much history in this,” the priestess said simply, fingering the string, “and much love.”

The priestess dipped her fingers into a white scalloped seashell filled with fragrant oil. Zoe couldn’t remember the last time she had seen a shell, most planets hadn’t taken to the terraforming well enough to encourage sea life. Noticing her gaze, the priestess answered her unspoken question.

“It is fossilized, brought with us from Earth that Was some 300 years ago.”

Zoe reached out and touched the shell in awe. It wasn’t the first relic from their dead home world that she had seen, but it was certainly the most simple, and the most beautiful as well.   
The priestess touched the warm oil to Zoe’s brow, and said, “May Eisheth grant your prayer’s wisdom.”

Zoe had never been much for wisdom, that was more the Doctor’s way of things, of the Shepherd’s. Zoe had been career military, and had even joined up with what The Alliance had labeled a “terrorist” organization, the Dust Devils, after the Independence had lost the war. Being a parent though, that required wisdom, and Zoe found herself praying to a goddess she didn’t believe in to grant her that wisdom, to help she and her husband to raise a child in this uncertain world, and to teach him or her have a steadier head than their mother had, but to stand up for what they believed to be right no matter the consequences.

The priestess then anointed Zoe’s breast bone, speaking again, May Eisheth’s love fill your heart.”

Love, that was the one thing Zoe and Wash had in abundance, and it was the thing she most wanted to pass on to her child. At first she’d been bothered by her husband’s presence on Serenity, though he hadn’t been her husband then, just some pilot they’d contracted with. Over time however, Wash had won her over. First with his admittedly prodigious piloting skills, and then with his sense of humor, and finally…with his patience and affection. He had told her jokes about juggling goslings, and moved her with his stories about the planet he had grown up on. A planet with pollution so think he couldn’t even see the stars, he had told her. He had become a pilot so he could see the sky. On their first trip to Persephone, Wash had spent his entire month’s wage to buy her a bouquet of wooden flowers. Not normally the sentimental type, Zoe had still been touched by the gesture, and still had the flowers in a vase beside her bed. The first time they had kissed, Zoe felt as though she were seeing the stars for the very first time. She knew in that one instant that she had found her one true match, and they had never looked back, despite the Captain’s orders to her that they not marry. It was the one command she had ever disobeyed, and she had never had cause to regret her decision. 

Finally, the priestess touched the oil to the junction between Zoe’s thighs, and along her most secretive folds, saying, “May Eisheth hear your prayer and fill your womb.”

Zoe felt tears fill her eyes, as she lifted them in prayer. Never before had she wanted to be a mother. She had left her own home when she was only 16, six years before the Unification War had begun. Her own mother had been a kind women, the kind who carried lavender sachets, and drank tea. Vesselside wasn’t a Central Planet, but it was still considered a Core world, and Zoe had longed for adventure, and a freedom that her life back home could never offer her. Fleeing home shortly after her “debut,” a horrible debutante like affair where Zoe had had to wear a white dress and was presented like some kind of a doll before all the “eligible men” of her town, she had abandoned her dreams of family, and had nary a maternal instinct ever since. Now, a family with Wash was all she wanted more than anything else in the world. 

“Please child, submerge yourself in the pool. Feel Eisheth’s healing powers. She has the ability to heal your heart, as well as your body. Let her waters open the gates of your womb.”  
Zoe stepped forward into the pool and down the steps until she was shoulder deep in the warm waters. She looked to the priestess, who merely smiled and nodded her head. Taking a deep breath, Zoe dipped her head under the water and sank to her knees. 

Once immersed, Zoe felt almost as though she was in a womb herself. The water surrounded her, and blocked any noise from reaching her ears. Gone was the flowing music of the temple, gone was the familiar smell of lavender incense. All that remained was Zoe, and the gentle embrace of a mother’s love. When she rose from the water, she couldn’t tell if the rivulets streaming down her cheeks were from the pool or her own eyes. The priestess had spoken truly, she felt healed. 

After she had put her clothes back on, the first priest returned and brought her back out to the spring where Wash was still waiting. He was watching as several children ran around in circles, playing some sort of local game. He had a twinkle in his eye, and when he saw her walking towards him, his face grew expectant.

“Can I see it? Can I see it?”

Zoe held the blue pillar candle before him, and he took it from her hands and raised it over his head triumphantly.

“Can we light it when we get back to the ship? And then…maybe I can ‘play my part’?”

She laughed happily, “yes dear, if that’s what you’d like.”

“And isn’t this just the best candle you’ve ever seen? It’s so blue, and tall, and…fertile…”

“Yes dear, it’s a very lovely candle. Come on, let’s go back home.”


	7. River

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> River has a panic attack on the bridge leading into The City of Elua. When a Gentian Adept finds her there, a friendship is formed and the secrets of the cosmos are opened before River's eyes.

Pretty. Everyone on this planet was so pretty. And quiet. The voices didn’t call out to River here as they did everywhere else. When she was on any other planet, she could hear the thoughts coming at her from every direction, couldn’t block them from her mind. Even in space, she heard the voices. Some came from her crew, some came from Serenity, some came from the black. 

But on Terre D’Ange, it was pretty. And quiet. The people were happy here. And free. They didn’t need to think loud, angry thoughts. Their minds were filled with peace, and love. They were far enough from the Alliance’s reach that they weren’t burdened with the oppressive regime, and this was a small planet, not very diverse. The people here were mostly fair skinned, and beautiful. None of them spoke Mandarin, but some spoke in a funny tongue, an ancient dead language from Earth that Was. Their voices bent and curved, making swirls and loops out of the words. River wanted to speak it. 

She floated down the walkways and avenues of The City, and gazed at the pretty people who looked lovingly at one another. Crossing the bridge that led to Night’s Doorstep, she noticed couples walking together, touching almost constantly. Holding hands, and kissing…brushing fingertips over their beloved’s flesh. 

River had never been touched in such a way. At the Academy she had been touched, but never like that. Hands of blue holding her down, binding her, forcing needles into her skull…like a stone River dropped to the ground and screamed. She couldn’t help it, didn’t want to. Not here. Here was so pretty. No hands of blue to torment her. Still out there in the black though, hunting her…like a rabbit being chased by a hound. 

Several people rushed to her side, offering her aid. Was she alright? Did she need help? Was she alone? Where was her ship? What’s wrong?

Slowly, she stood back up. On shaky knees, River walked to the side of the bridge, and held fast to the ledge, steadying herself. 

“Two by two…hands of blue…” she muttered, “coming for me…always coming…”

A woman of middling years came towards her, slowly and with her hands raised to show that she was no threat. She wore a loose fitting dress, pale pink and periwinkle, and it draped over her shoulders. She had long brown hair and soft grey eyes. Her brows were furrowed, and she had a look of concern on her pretty face. Something about her manner calmed River, and she continued her cautious approach.

“My name is Abigayle nó Gentian, and I am an adept of the Gentian House, in the Night Court. Are you in some trouble child? Can I be of some assistance to you?”

“Voices,” River said softly, “they’re everywhere. Not here. Everything’s so pretty here. But out there,” she pointed up to the sky, “they’re out there. Waiting for me. When I go back…” 

River trailed off as a fresh flood of tears came to her, and she crumbled back to the ground again, “they’ll be back. They always come back…” she whispered. 

Abigayle’s face softened, and she reached out her hand to River with a knowing smile, “if you will come with me child, I may be able to help quiet those voices.”

She looked around. Where was Simon? He was always right by her side, ready to protect her. But now he was nowhere to be seen. Tentatively, River took the proffered hand. Abigayle carefully helped her to stand, and led her the rest of the way over the bridge. 

River noticed that her dress was cut and low on her back, revealing an intricate design of green vines and dark blue flowers, with a moon at the top. The pattern ran from the nape of her neck all the way down past where the dress began. She reached out and traced the design with her finger. 

“Pretty…” River murmured.

Abigayle laughed lightly at the touch, “It is my marque. It means that I am dedicated to Naamah, who you might call a goddess, and that I have given my body over to her.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Only a little child, but it is done with an open heart. Truthfully, the needles only sting for a moment, and then the pain is gone.”

In a panic, River wrenched her hand away from the woman, “Needles? No…no…no needles…” 

“Oh no my dear!” Abigayle rushed forward, smoothing the hair from River’s forehead, “no needles for you. This was my choice, you understand? No one would force it upon you. You are safe here. Blessed Elua, what must have befallen you to have brought you to such a state…?

Child, what is your name child?”

“River.”

Abigayle’s grey eyes lit up, and a smile broke across her beautiful and serene face, “River. Such a lovely name. River, will you trust me?”

“No needles?”

“No, none at all.”

Without speaking, River nodded her head and reached back out for Abigayle’s hand again. 

They arrived at the Gentian House shortly after in silence. Abigayle told River to wait in the salon for a moment, while she went and spoke with her Dowayne. 

“Dow-wayne-ya,” River repeated, feeling the word in her mouth and relishing the shape of it. 

In no time at all, a tall man wearing loose fitting robes similar to Abigayle’s except that it was sage green and tan, came out with Abigayle following him.

“I am Bertran nó Gentian, and I am the Dowayne of this house. Abigayle has told me how she came to find you on the bridge, and we would like to help you.”

River looked up at him, her confusion writ plainly on her face.

“We are of the Gentian House, River, and we work in truth and vision. Members of our house…assist, those with ailments of the spirit and the mind. We help to uncover the root of the problem. We can help you to see your dreams, and make sense of them. We can help to quiet the vices you hear. Would you like for Abigayle to help you?”

“I think…yes. I would like her help. So many voices, and the hands of blue, and the needles…”

River’s body began to tense up again, and Abigayle was at once by her side, stroking her hair and soothing her, “Shh, shh River darling. We have no hands of blue here, and no one will come to you with a needle. You have my sacred vow that no harm will come to you in these walls. Come, child. Come with me.”

River followed Abigayle into a small room, dimly lit. There was a brazier on one table and a fine blue smoke was coming out of it. She sat on the bed, her head already light, and felt Abigayle’s soft hands working to remove her thin flowered dress and boots. 

River allowed her to do as she would, and soon found herself completely naked and lying back on the bed. The pillow beneath her head was as soft as the one she had owned as a child, before everything had been torn away from her. 

“Roll onto your stomach my dear.”

She rolled over, and felt Abigayle begin spreading warm oil and hot stones over her back, loosening her tight muscles. 

“You must relax, River, breathe deeply and allow the opium to transport you in your mind.”

Eventually the stones were removed and only Abigayle’s strong, sure hands remained. She gently worked the knots in River’s shoulders and back, making her way lower and lower. When her hands reached River’s thighs, she jumped slightly, but Abigayle again soothed her back to resting.

“Have you never been touched in this way River?”

She shook her head no, her face still buried in the pillow.

“Would you like for me to stop?”

River took a moment to consider. How often had she been given a choice? Never, not really. Not since the Academy. No one had asked her what she wanted. And now, she could choose yes or no. Taking a deep breath, she shook her head no again.

More slowly this time, Abigayle started again, his hands cupping River’s buttocks, massaging them, and reaching lower to her thighs with only her fingertips. She traced the lines of River’s body, and worked her legs apart ever so slightly. 

River felt an unfamiliar sensation growing inside of her, a pleasant tingling in her extremities that spread out and met in her core. Like a million tiny butterflies against her skin, Abigayle’s fingers continued tickling her. She rolled back over onto her back and looked up, seeing the beautiful kindness in Abigayle’s eyes.

“May I kiss you now child?”

River nodded her head yes, and was rewarded with the gentlest brush of lips against her own. It was her first kiss, and the lips felt as soft as rose petals against her own. 

“Did you like that River?”

River had no words, there were too many words, always words. Words in her head, in her ears. Words being spoken to her and echoing across time and space. No more words, she decided. Instead, she reached up and pulled Abigayle down and close to her, slipping the pink and periwinkle dress from her body, and kissed her again. 

River kissed her hungrily, wrapping her arms around Abigayle’s neck and twining her fingers in her hair. 

“Slow down, my darling girl. There is no need to rush this. It is all sacred, and we must go slowly, if you wish to rid yourself of the voices that plague you.”

Lying back down again, Abigayle returned to her work. She rubbed more oil between her hands, warming it, and then she began to work the oil into Rivers small, pert breasts. She had never experienced such a sensation before, and she felt her nipples begin to pucker and harden like little pebbles. The oil made her skin slick, and Abigayle’s hands slid nimbly over River’s sensitive skin. She began moving lower, rubbing the oil into her belly, and then even lower, until she was back between River’s thighs again. This time River opened her legs voluntarily, sharing a secret smile with her new friend. 

“Is this alright my dear?” she asked, as she slipped her fingers lower still, now delicately caressing her outermost lips. 

Again, River nodded. She couldn’t have spoken now even had she wanted to, there was a knot in her throat and she was overcome with the physical sensations she was experiencing. So many new feelings ran through her body, and they were all wonderful. There was nothing River could relate these new feelings to, the moisture that was increasing between her legs, the hungry desire for more that would not abate. Abigayle’s fingers began circling a small nub of flesh just before her lips, and River began to twist and moan on the bed with pleasure. She grasped the sheets in her hands, making great fistfuls of them, clenching and releasing her hands as her toes curled and her feet flexed back and forth.   
When Abigayle dipped her head down and began to kiss in the place where her fingers had been only moments before, River lost all control of her body, and it gave way to trembling and shaking. She felt the softness of Abigayle’s tongue as it lapped and swirled around her nub, the fingers gliding in and out of her rhythmically. 

River felt her heart beating in time, and behind her closed eyelids she could see the entire ‘Verse opening before her. Nebulae and constellations, entire galaxies twisting and comets shooting across the black. She saw the entire lifespan of a sun, forming out of gas and dust, expanding and changing in shape and color, she saw the solar flares that it gave off, watched as it turned warm and golden, then hot and red, and eventually watched as it shank and faded for the world forever. 

River heard her own voice crying out, not in pain but in rapture, and she felt whole and complete for the first time since she had been taken from her family. Soon, too soon, the feeling abated and the ‘Verse was hidden from her all seeing gaze. Her breathing slowed and returned to normal, and Abigayle came and lay alongside River, Wrapping her arms around the girl and holding her head to her breast. She stroked River’s hair as she her mother had done when she was younger, as Simon did now when she lost herself and cried in the night. 

“Sleep now, my darling girl. You are safe her, and loved. What you dream, I will see, as it is my gift. I will help free you from the nightmares, and the voices. Rest easy, and sleep.”

The feeling of fingers combing through her hair, brushing against her scalp relaxed River, and she breathed deeply, inhaling more of the blue mist and very quickly she faded off to sleep.

No one was moving. Everyone was sleeping. Everyone was quiet. Quieter than on the pretty planet. So many people, so many souls, and they thought nothing at all. No voices. 

Screaming voices. Angry, rage filled men and women, covered in blood. Reavers! Reavers chasing after men with blue hands. White fog everywhere.

Too calm. Too angry. Too quiet and too loud. 

Men with blue hands, smiling. No needles, just white fog. 

Miranda.

River sat up with a start. The relaxation was still there, and she couldn’t remember what she had dreamed. It had been so long since she’d had a dreamless sleep. 

Turning to thank Abigayle. Such a gift she had been given. But Abigayle’s face was white with terror. Her eyes were wild, her pupils dilated so that they were mere pinpricks.

“What…what on this world…?” she asked, her voice trembling. 

“You saw? What did you see?” River countered.

“So. Much…anger…death…pain. Is that what you see every night child?”

River nodded apprehensively.

“You poor thing…I can’t…I can’t help you child,” slowly, Abigayle found her bearings, and her eyes returned to normal.

“Whatever was done to you, I wish I could help. But it is no spiritual malady that plagues you. Some crime has been committed against your very soul. I am so sorry, but I have failed you.”

“No. No failure. I saw the stars. I saw everything. I saw the whole ‘Verse because of you. You helped. Thank you.”

River leaned over and kissed Abigayle’s forehead. She put her dress and boots back on, and turned back, “you will be alright? Did I hurt you?”

“I’ll be fine, thank you River. I need time to rest, and I may need some help of my own here in my house. But I am not damaged beyond repair.”

The way you are, were the words she did not speak but River heard them all the same. The voices were not gone. She sighed, and kissed Abigayle’s forehead once more. 

She saw a set of wooden hands sitting on the table beside the brazier, and instinctively she withdrew the pouch of gold coins that the Captain had given her this morning and set in in them.

“That’s not necessary my dear, I did not make good on my promise to you.”

River didn’t answer, because she knew that Abigayle spoke truly. But she felt better than she had in so long, and that counted for something. She smiled at her friend, and gave a small wave of her hand, then turned and walked from the Gentian House, then calmly back towards home.


	8. Jayne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jayne makes his way through the Night Court like he's on a pub crawl, but with unexpected results

Best rutt’in planet in the gorram ‘Verse.

Everywhere Jayne Cobb looked, there were beautiful women. Some of them scantily clad, which was just the way he liked them. He would’a liked them more if they weren’t wearing nothing at all, but that’s what them whore houses were for. 

He had the pouch of gold coin the Captain had given him ‘specially for the purpose of getting his wick lit, plus a little more he’d scrapped together and had been saving for something special. He might never be with a proper companion, but this whole planet full of whores was nothing to spit at. 

He had to ask around a bit to find the whore houses. Took longer than he would have liked, most the people ‘round here got mighty perturbed if you called them “whores”. The first woman he asked looked at him with shock on her face, and informed him that there were no whores on Terre D’Ange, only servants of Naamah, and if he wanted to contract with one of them, he ought to learn more respect. 

“I ain’t look’in for no servant ma’am, just look’in to have a little fun while I’m visiting.”

She shook her head at him and continued on her way. 

Thinking he might have better luck with a man, if you could call the prissy long-haired pretty boys that were walking around here men…didn’t even have any scruff on their faces, what kind of a man was that, Jayne asked one who was wearing a grey robe, and had some fancy silver bracelets strapped around his wrists. 

“Where’s a fella go when he wants to get some ass ‘round these parts?”

“Get some ass? I’m afraid I don’t understand the expression…” the man in grey responded. 

“Aww come on man! You know, I wanna get a little poon, rut with some fine filly, get balls deep up in some strange!”

The man still had a vacant expression on his face, so Jayne sighed, and tried a simpler approach, “where can I go to find a gorram whore house?”

The man in grey blanched, and his eyes went wide, “is that what you meant?”

Relief spread through Jayne, and a smile came over his face, “Now ‘ya got it! So, where do I go?”

His quick answer was a fist in the face, pain blossoming and blood flowing from his nose. 

“You can go right back to whatever planet you hail from sir. Would that I were not dedicated to Cassiel, and I could trounce you properly, but my vows forbid it. I am not to draw my steel for any less than to kill, and you are far from worth being expelled from my order.”

“You wadda fight?” Jayne asked, blood gushing, as he put up his fists.

“No, that’s what I’ve just said. But believe you me, if you don’t take your leave of me soon, I will find someone without vows to break who can most certainly oblige you.”

With that, the man in grey turned on his heel and walked swiftly away from Jayne, who rifled through his pockets and pulled out an old rag, which he held to his nose to staunch the bleeding.

“My lord, do you have need of a chirugeon?” A woman walking by him asked.

“Do,” he answered, shaking his head, “sex.”

She put her hand to her mouth a stifled a laugh, “oh, you want the Night Court then. That would be that way, “she pointed towards a small hill not too far in the distance, “past Night’s Doorstep you’ll find Mont Nuit, and therein is the Court of the Night Blooming flowers. Naamah’s Servants dwell there.”

“Do, do serbants…sex.”

“Yes,” she said slowly, nodding as though he were a child, “Naamah’s Servants will see to your sexual needs. You, ahem, might want to try Balm House. They will be able to help you with your nose there.”

“Tank you,” he said, and began his walk towards Balm House. 

He stumbled in to the first house he saw in this Night Court, and was immediately greeted by a tall young man with long blonde hair. 

“Good day, milord, and be welcome to Orchis House. I would ask you what brings you hence, but it rather as plain as the…nose on your face,” he said chuckling lightly.

Jayne growled at the young man, who quickly ushered him back outside, and pointed to a house right across from his own, “I believe you might be looking for Balm House milord. Best of luck to you.” 

He laughed again, and Jayne crossed over to the next house on the street. Inside was another man, this one with a more serene expressions on his face, “Be welcome in Balm, milord – “  
“Do, do men. Women,” Jayne said, cutting him off

The man was a bit surprised by Jayne’s bluntness, but he covered it up quickly, and gave him a polite bow, “of course milord. Right this way.”

Jayne followed where the man led, into a small room with a large soft bed in it. The walls were blue and yellow. After only a few minutes, a woman walked in. Pretty as any other, he figured, but too old. 

This must be where the doctor’in takes place. Plenty of time to rut after.

“Ah, you poor dear,” she said softly, touching her soft hand to his cheek, “my name is Adélaïde nó Balm, and I will have you fixed in a thrice.”

She turned her back to him and ground up some hers in a stone cup with a masher thingy, and added a bit of oil until it formed a paste. Using gentle, nimble fingers, she applied the “poultice,” her words, not his, to his nose and the surrounding area. Almost instantly, the swelling eased and Jayne was able to breathe freely again. 

“That, that’s a gorram miracle. I could kiss you lady!”

Adélaïde cocked her head to the side and smiled, “I hope you’ll be doing more than kissing me milord. After all, you did request an assignation, did you not?”

The only part of that word that Jayne recognized was “ass,” but he certainly didn’t want hers. 

“Um…no offense lady, I mean, you’re real good at the doctor’in and all, but I was hoping for someone a bit, uh…younger?”

The woman flushed, and rose off the bed, “I see. Well, I thank you for your candor milord. But mayhap what you desire is to be found in another house?”

Another house? 

Jayne sighed, this day was already taking longer than he wanted it to. 

“Fine,” he said, standing up off the bed quickly and started walking towards the door.

“Ahem, there is the small matter of your patron fee?”

“My who now?”

Adélaïde no longer had the gentle, patient look on her face she had worn when first she entered the room. Now she looked at him like every other woman Jayne had ever known.

“Your patron fee milord. For services rendered? For the…’doctoring’?”

“Oh, ah, right. Sure. Here ya go,” he said, fishing into his pocket. He pulled out a gold coin, “will this do?”

“One you’ve tripled its amount, it will do just fine.”

Frustrated, Jayne reached back in and drew out three more coins, thrusting them forward, “Here. Thank again for fix’in my nose.”

“It was my pleasure milord.”

“How, how do I find a good whore house?”

Adélaïde sighed, and rubbed her fingers against her temple, but then looked back up at him with the tiniest glint in her eye, “I would suggest the Alyssum House. It is down the road but a small way, a large wooden structure, with a red knot work cross adorning the door.”

Jayne nodded, and left her side as quickly as he was able.

He found the door that she had described, and pounded on it. Gorram it, he was getting tired of looking for a place that he could take a woman. The sun was already high in the sky, he had only a few hours left. 

No answer came, and so he knocked again, louder this time, and called out, “Hello? There anyone in there? You’ve gotta customer here with gold burn’in a hole in his pockets!”

Jayne heard hushed voices whispering behind the door, and after a moment or two, the door cracked open, and a soft voice bade him to enter. 

This house was very dimly lit, and Jayne didn’t much like the looks of it upon entering. He heard the door click shut behind him, and a hand took hold of his and pulled him in deeper. A woman, at least he thought it was a woman, stood before him at the end of a hallway. She had on a white dress, which covered almost every inch of her skin, and a white veil over her head. Only her eyes were visible, but she did have a womanly body, so that told him at least he was in the right place. When he spoke, Jayne had all the confirmation he needed about her gender. 

“Greeting milord. My name is Florette nó Alyssum. I am the Second to the Dowayne of this House. Please, sir, come forward and whisper your desires into my ear.”

Jayne smirked, finally!

He leaned in and whispered his desires to Florette, who pulled away from him uncomfortably.

“Milord…are you sure that this is the house you seek? Your desires, are…uncommon for our canon.”

“Look lady, I’ve traveled a good long ways to get here, and all I want at this point is a hot wet place to stick my pecker. Can you accommodate that or not?”

The skin around her eyes grew red with embarrassment, and Florette began to tremble slightly, opening her hand and gesturing to the right, “this way milord. An adept will be with you shortly.”

Jayne walked down the narrow hallway, and into the first open door he saw.

“And make sure this one isn’t ancient, will ‘ya?” He called over his shoulder as he went into the room. 

Immediately, he took off his shirt and crumpled it up, throwing it against the wall triumphantly. He sat on the small bed and waited. 

It wasn’t long before another veiled woman came in to join him. 

“Good day mesire,” her voice was soft and timid.

“Hey there pretty little lady. What are ya hiding under that thing for? I ain’t gonna bite, hard,” he said, his smirk rising again.

“Please, milord…” she trailed off, visibly shaking now.

“Aww hell. Is that what this one is all about? Are you all scared little virgins in here? ‘Cause I don’t got no desire to be deflowering no virgins. Last girl I met who was scared, had this poisonous lipstick, and was a whole heap of trouble. I don’t want none of that.”

“I’m no virgin milord,” she said softly, “I’m a full adept of this house. Our canon is modesty though, and we believe that Naamah trembled as she lay her modesty aside to offer herself to the King of Persis.”

“The king of what now? How many men have you been with?”

“That is not a proper question to ask me milord.”

“I’ve never had much use for being proper. And I’m tell’in you, I ain’t bedding down with no scared waif-like little creature. Ni tama de tianxia suoyou de ren dou gaisi! I’m outta here.”

Leaning over, Jayne picked up his discarded t-shirt, and put it back on before storming out of the house all together, bypassing the shocked women he passed along the way. 

He exited the Alyssum House and looked to either side of himself down the road. He saw a quaint and unassuming building a few doors down, and marched over quickly. 

A man about Jayne’s own age answered the door, with long black braids and shining blue eyes. He wore a silk robe of black with a red sash tied around his waist.

“Welcome to Mandrake sire.”

“You have women in here?” Jayne asked him gruffly.

“We do, of course. All Houses in the Night Court have both men and women courtesans,” The man raked his eyes over Jayne, and he suddenly felt naked as a bare assed mule. He didn’t like the feeling. The man smiled a secretive smile as he ushered Jayne inside.

“I am Master Ivan Shahrizai nó Mandrake, and I am happy to help you arrange an assignation with one our adepts, or with a Mistress if you would prefer.”

“S’a Mistress better?”

“One must train for many years to attain the title of ‘Master’ or ‘Mistress’ in our house. Only one in every thirty adepts ever reach that level. My lord would be very well served, by either an adept or a Mistress, as all of our adepts undergo the most exacting of training.”

“I’ll take a Mistress then. Only com’in to this planet once in my life, I want the best.”

Ivan bowed slightly, and replied, “very good my lord. I will see the assignation contract drawn up. What would you like as your signale?’

“What’s a signaley?”

“A signale is a word you need only speak once, and the Mistress will stop whatever she is doing immediately. It is a sacred trust, and no person here would violate it. To do such would be blasphemy.”

“Right…okay…so, I guess for my signaley I’ll use…uh, can I just say ‘stop’?”

Ivan quirked his mouth slightly at this, “to ask that your Mistress ‘stop’ is often part of the game my lord. Perhaps you would prefer a word not often spoken in play?”

“Sure…uh-huh…that makes sense.”

It made none at all.

“I guess, Canton. If I say ‘Canton’, you’ll just stop, right?”

“Very good my lord. I will inform your Mistress that your signale shall be ‘canton,’ and yes, should you but utter the word, she will stop at once. Let us now move to the equipment room, that you may select which devices should be most pleasing to you.”

Jayne followed the braided Master down a dark corridor to a wide open room, which held many cabinets and table cases, all made with glass coverings so a person could peer inside with ease. Some contained whips, cat o’nine tails, chains, rope, and a bunch of little razor blades that looked like something the Doc would use back on the ship if her were cut’in someone open.

“Ah, I see you have noticed our flechette collection. A very good choice my lord. Shall I arrange your assignation to take place with Mistress Magali nó Mandrake? She is especially skilled with them, being able to peel the skin from more than thirteen different types of fruit, removing only the rind and never the fruit’s flesh itself. It is quite an admirable skill, as I am only proficient at eight different fruits myself.”

Jayne’s eyes widened and rounded, his face paled slightly, “you, you slice people with those things, and they pay you to do it?”

Again, Ivan smiled slightly, “why yes, of course my lord. This is after all, Mandrake House, where all manner of pain can be inflicted upon you, as well as a great deal of pleasure.”

“I..I..I think I’m in the wrong place. I don’t want no one cut’in on me ‘less it’s a doctor and I’m dy’in of somethi’in ain’t no other cure of. I ain’t no freak to want none of that Reaver niufen!”

Something in Ivan’s face changed at this remark, and again he took Jayne’s full measure with his eyes, leaving him vulnerable in a way he’d never felt before.

“Canton…that word holds such significant meaning to you my lord…Tis no wonder you chose it for your signale. The only place you’ve ever felt yourself to be a righteous man, though even there t’was all a lie. You fancy yourself a man with a code of honor, but that code means nothing to you when a coffer of gold is set before you. A blackguard through and through, with no repentance for your sins. You’d do better begging Kushiel’s mercy in his temple then taking your pleasure with one of his servants. 

Be gone from our House, ‘Cantonian Hero’. I know not why you call yourself such, as it is laughable that you could ever be heroic. If you find yourself in dire need of carnal pleasure this day, your best luck would be found in the Bryony House, for they alone can sate your need for both flesh and gold.”

Jayne felt stripped, and naked, and raw. Like a child whose every fault had been seen by a watchful and over strict parent. He felt shame, an emotion he never experienced. It was true, Canton had been the one place he’d felt like he could have been a better man, rutt’in Mudders making some kind of gorram saint out of him, but it had all be a lie, and he’d left their planet feeling dejected and as worthless as ever. He stood there for a full minute, reliving that gorram Mudder who had jumped in front of the knife, saving him for the death he was owed, and felt his spirits sinking. 

And then he heard the last word that Ivan had said, “gold”.

“Gold? There’s gold and fornication in the same place ‘round here?”

“Aye, my lord, there is,” Ivan responded dryly. 

“Well, what are we stand’in here fer? Point the way!!”

Ivan politely showed him to the door, and pointed to the house at the end of the road, to a bright three story building, made of pale wood, and dripping with gold and jade fixtures.  
“Seems a might bit ostentatious…” Jayne muttered to himself as he knocked on the door.

Immediately, the door opened and a young woman answered, with honey colored hair and bright green eyes. She was wearing a tight dress of gold, with thin straps holding it up. Her chest was large and pale, the way Jayne liked them to be, and she had a large smile on her face.

“You wouldn’t happen to be the lord of Canton, would you mesire?”

Jayne smirked, “my reputation proceeds me I see?”

She laughed heartily, and told him, “We’ve received a wave, my lord, from the Dowayne of the Mandrake House. We’ve also heard tell that you’ve visited several other houses in our fair city and have yet to find what you seek. Would you care to chance fate, and enter Bryony, in hopes that you might find it here?”

There was festive music coming from inside, and Jayne could hear people shouting and laughing. It sounded more like a party or a tavern than a whore house, and Jayne found himself mighty curious. His curiosity, coupled with the earlier promise of gold, was all it took for him to swagger through the large double door, and proudly proclaim, “I’m ready fer anything you’ve got to throw at me lady! I’ve been doctored, and I’ve had gals who wouldn’t show me a speck of skin. I’ve had a man who wanted to peel me like an orange, and now I’m ready to win me some gold and some time with the best gal you’ve got!”

Inside, there was gold everywhere, and jade too as there had been outside. There were also banners of red and green with gold and silver flowers stitched on them. Men and women mingled freely, some in various states of undress.

Gambling of all kinds surrounded him, games of dice and cards, spinning wheels and balls. A huge scoreboard hung on the wall, reading stakes and wagers for things Jayne had never heard of before. 

“I am Alliah nó Bryony, lord of Canton,” his honey haired hostess informed him, and what might your pleasure be?”

“D’ya gotta craps table anywhere?”

“I am not familiar with that game my lord.’

“Uhh…I’m pretty good at ‘Tall Card’.”

Alliah’s eyebrows knit together, “and what kind of a card game is that my lord?”

“It’s…uh, kinda a mix between poker and mahjong. You usually play for chores.”

“I’m sorry, Lord Canton, but we do not play ‘Tall Card’ here either. Mayhap a game of Pai Sho, or rhythymomachy if you are indeed feeling lucky?”

“What are those?”

“Both are games played on a board, with various tiles. Pai Sho is a simpler game, and being from the black you might have an easier time with it, as it does draw heavily from Mandarin culture. Rhythymomachy is a more difficult game, to be sure, but the stakes are considerably higher.”

“Well…what do if get fer winning at either one?”

Alliah pondered for a moment, then inclined her head and smiled, “Should my lord best me at Pai Sho, I will give you fifteen minutes of pleasure in a private chamber. Should you win at rhythymomachy then you may have your choice of any three adepts, and we will give you an hour that you will look back on with passion for all of your days.”

Jayne laughed out loud, “Well that ain’t hardly a question at all then! I’ll play your rythym-mom-achey and take my hour!”

“Very good my lord, let us sign the contract and begin.”

Jayne sat at a wooden desk with gold swirls and designs on it, and looked at the electronic tablet which had the terms of the wager spelled out for him.

“You have been informed of what you may win, my lord, but what do you forfeit, should you lose?”

“What d’ya think is fair?”

Alliah smiled, “you chose to play a high stakes game Lord Canton, and it is only fair that your losses should be equally high. Should I best you at rhythymomachy, you shall give to me whatever gold you carry on your person.”

It took Jayne a minute to consider this offer. He was mighty good at gambling, but he had brought to this gorram world all the gold he’d managed to save over the last couple jobs. If he lost, he would have nothing. Quickly, he shook the worry from his mind, and pressed his thumb to the sensor pad, “It’s a deal!”

Alliah’s smile widened to a full on grin, her white teeth gleaming against her fair skin and red lips, “Excellent, Lord Canton. Let us begin.”

She clapped her hands twice, and they were led to a long wooden board with checkered blocks alternating light and dark wood. It was eight squared across, and sixteen squares long. He had three different shaped pieces in front of him, some were circles, some squares, and the rest were triangles. Jayne’s pieces were made of the same dark wood as the board, while Alliah’s were made of light. 

“Wait a second here, you have more circles than I do…and I have more triangles. What gives?”

Alliah laughed lightly, “in rhythymomachy we are not given equal playing tiles, that we may have different advantages, and shan’t be tempted to make the same plays.”

She slid a circular tile one space diagonally. 

Jayne did the same, but with a triangle.

“No, my lord, the game does not work like that. You may only move your triangle two squares, vertically, in any direction. And the same holds true for the square, but it is three spaces.”  
Jayne looked at her, jaw slightly agape, and asked her, “what kinda racket you runn’in here?”

“No racket my lord, just an honest game. Have you never played before?”

“No. I ain’t ne’er heard of this gorram game, but I’m betting I can still kick your pretty blond ass at it.”

Arching a golden eyebrow in amusement, Alliah reached down and slid a triangle forward, not saying a thing. 

And so the game went. Jayne would move one of his pieces, often to the laughter and occasional jeering of the spectators that formed around them. He muttered and cursed under his breath with every move. Alliah never spoke a word, but her tiles would sometimes be stacked on top of one another, a “pyramid” she called it, though Jayne had no clue how to make one for himself. His pieces were slowly removed from the board, as Alliah “captured” them, and Jayne felt a tremendous victory when he managed to steal a single tile from Alliah’s side  
All told, the game lasted less than ten minutes. 

“Tis a common victory, a Victoire par le Corps,” Alliah proclaimed nonchalantly to the crowd of onlookers, who applauded her win.

Jayne stood from the table angrily, flipping over the rhythymomachy board i9n the process. The remaining tiles clattered to the floor, spinning and bouncing in every direction.

“This is daxiang baozhashi de laduzi, and I ain’t paying nothing!” 

No sooner had the words left Jayne’s mouth than several armed men came up around the table, creating a full circle. Alliah remained seated, and looked up at him, a calm look on her face.

“It is unwise to attempt to welch on a wager within Bryony House, Lord Canton, lest we choose to take payment by force. No patron has ever lost a wager and managed the trick of retaining his forfeiture. I advise you to keep your calm my lord, and give up your gold willingly.”

Jayne looked around him, trying to weigh his odds. There were six men surrounding him, each carrying either a blaster or a sword. Mal had expressly forbidden that any members of the crew bring any kind of weapon onto the planet with them, since this was such a peaceful place to visit. 

He knew he had been beaten.

“Didn’t want none of your ràng rén fǎngǎn de piányí pìgu yínluàn anyway…” he muttered angrily as he pulled out the pouch of gold the Captain had given him that morning. He handed it over to Alliah, who did not smile, but looked on expectantly.

“I said all of your gold my lord Canton.”

Growling, Jayne dug into his pockets and fished out a handful of loose coins, all gold. He threw it angrily onto the table, and walked away. 

“You are most welcome in Bryony House any time my lord, Should you return to our planet, please come by and ask for me!”

Jayne left the Bryony House with the sound of laughter following him, not just Alliah’s, but the laughter of several other whores, and other customers as well. 

Once outside, Jayne could see that the sun had begun to sink, he was going to have to book it if he wanted to return to his ship before it left him behind on this god forsaken planet filled with the evilest whores Jayne had ever had the misfortune of meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ni tama de tianxia suoyou de ren dou gaisi: Fuck everyone in the universe to death.
> 
> Niufen: Cow manure 
> 
> Daxiang baozhashi de laduzi: The explosive diarrhea of an elephant
> 
> Ràng rén fǎngǎn de piányí pìgu yínluàn: Skanky cheap ass fornication


	9. Mal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Mal goes to the Royal Palace to finish the job, he has a conversation with the ruling couple of the planet, and learns the secrets of of Terre D'Ange was able to maintain their independence and keep out of the Alliance's grip. 
> 
> He also tastes joie.

As Malcolm Reynolds left his ship behind, he felt the same small sense of longing that he always felt. If he could just stay on Serenity for all his days, and never step foot on another god forsaken dust heap, he'd be a happy man. Too many bad memories too place on land, the black was where his hopes and dreams lie. 

Still, Terre D'Ange was hardly a dust ball. With the best terraforming he'd seen outside of the Central Planets, this world was absolutely stunning; there were green mountains in the distance, and if he wasn't mistaken, Mal could even see a river cutting through the land. The last time he'd seen a natural body of water had been on Triumph, and everyone knew how well that had ended up. Even so, this was by far the most beautiful planet he'd seen in a good many years. 

A part of him wished he could enjoy the local attractions, as he'd advised his crew to. But knowing that there was money to be had, Mal made sure his head was straight, and that he had his wits about him. Avoiding the brothel district completely, Mal made a direct path to the Royal Palace, to meet with the rulers of this planet, that he might complete the job he'd been hired to do. 

Again Mal was struck by the beauty of his surroundings, this time the architecture of the palace and the neighboring noble houses. Unlike most border planets, with their shanties made of roughly hewn wood, these houses were made of brick and mortar, some with cultured or veneer stone facades, and the palace itself looked to be made of pure white marble. These structures could easily rival those that he'd seen in pictures of Sihnon. 

He approached the palace gates, with as much reverence as he could muster. Having been raised on a ranch back on Shadow, by his mother and more farm hands than he could count, he hadn’t had much in the ways of a “proper” education, nor had he learned much in the way of “culture”. 

The hands that passed through his life had made sure he didn’t grow up ignorant though, several of them had been properly educated prior to their arrival, and many were on the run from The Alliance, or an ex-wife, or otherwise had some kind of bounty on his head. Most of them had been rogues, but there wasn’t a single one amongst them that didn’t hold to a code of honor of some kind, and that was the most important lesson they had taught Mal. He’d made it through the Unification War with that code more or less intact, and once he’d come to own Serenity he had sworn never to be under the foot of another for as long as he lived. As long as Serenity kept flying, he owned the sky. 

As he entered the main courtyard, he was greeted with the sight of tall white oak trees, and willow as well. They were old trees, tall and offering of shade. There was also a statue of some man with long hair, his arms stretching out; he was surrounded by statues of six men and two women, all very beautifully rendered. They stood in the center of a great fountain, with sprays of sparkling clean water shooting up and around them. Had Mal known anything about art, then perhaps he could have appreciated it better. 

What drew his attention more were the guards who came out to meet with him. There were four of them, tall and somber. Three men and a woman, all wearing matching grey robes, with their hair tied back in warrior’s buns. They had shiny silver wrist guards, daggers at both sides, and each wore a sword slung over their back.

“Gentlemen, ma’am,” Mal said, bowing, “I am Captain Malcolm Reynolds, of the ship Serenity. I’ve a contract with your king and queen, to pick up a shipment of some kind of flower? I was sent by Badger, a trader on Persephone, to pick up a shipment of the…snowdrops…?”

The guards exchanged a glance, and then spoke quietly amongst themselves in their strange, dead tongue. Mal couldn’t make heads or tails of it. After a moment of discussion, they nodded to one another and bade him to follow them inside. 

The five of them made their way from the courtyard through to the Palace Gardens, which were green and luscious. Even Mal, who had seen more planets than he could recall, was blown away by the sight. 

“Cónglái méiyǒu zài wǒ suǒyǒu de rìzi…” he murmured reverently. 

The guards exchanged a smile, and one of them, a tall slender man with grey hair told him, “We have been most fortunate that we found a planet so like our home country on Earth that Was. And so far form the Alliance’s reach.”

“Yeah..how’d a thing like that happen anyway?”

“That you must discuss with our King and Queen, should they wish to divulge the secrets of how we came to be here, that is their business. We merely protect and serve,” said the woman. Her hair was the same reddish shade as a con artist who had once called him “husband”. 

“Huh. Alright then.”

The party entered the Palace proper, and again Mal was dazzled by what he saw. The ceilings were higher than he had expected, giving the spacious feeling of being in his cargo hold back on Serenity. 

The guards led him through a long hallway which was decorated with various flowers, and paintings of past sovereigns, at least a hundred. There were midnight blue banners hung upon every wall, with swans embroidered on them with silver thread. 

Finally they reached a large double door, made of a dark hardwood that was inlaid with gold. The guards opened the door, and whispered something to the man standing at the door, a herald as it turned out. 

“Captain Malcolm Reynolds of the ship Serenity seeking an audience with King Tristan de la Courcel and her majesty Jaelle Bellamy de la Courcel.”

Mal walking into the room, passing through a laser grid similar to the one he’d had to walk through back at a party he had once attended on Persephone, where he had been Kaylee’s escort and defended Inara’s honor. The grid would not allow weapons to pass through it, ensuring the safety of the king and queen. 

The king’s audience chamber was large, both long and wide. There was a small fire burning in a fireplace along one wall, and there were many windows made of glass that allowed warmth from the planet’s twin suns to shine through. At the apex of the room, raised up on a dais, sat the king and queen of Terre D’Ange, in twin thrones. 

King Tristan was a couple years older than Mal was, if he had to guess. They shared the same sandy blondish brown hair, though the king’s was much longer than his own, curling gently around his shoulders, and his violet eyes stood out like gems, Mal could see them from all the way across the chamber. He wore a dark blue suit, obviously made of some very fine cloth, and it, like the banners outside, was stitched with silver thread. His shirt underneath was white and crisp, and the tie he had around his neck was silver with dark blue patterns stitched onto it.

Queen Jaelle, by comparison, was far younger, perhaps some fifteen years her husband’s junior. Her hair was dark brown and wavy, and her eyes were large and opaline. She wore a low-cut gown of green velvet, with a fancy gold brocade pattern. Her face was heart shaped, and she had a sensual smile on her beautiful face. 

Mal crossed the room and stood at the foot of the dais, bowing respectfully at the waist.

“You highnesses. I am Captain Malcolm Reynolds. I have been sent by Badger, of the planet Persephone, to fulfill a trade that he arranged.”

“Yes, very good my lord captain. We have been anticipating your arrival,” King Tristan said.

The king clapped his hands twice, and an attendant wearing beige pants, a white shirt, and a vest in the same royal blue that Mal saw everywhere else came forward, carrying a large wooden box. The box was dark and rich, mahogany most like, and inlaid with silver. The de la Courcel swan was emblazoned on its lid, which was fastened with a silver toggle. The attendant unlatched it and opened the lid. 

Nestled in the box were twelve delicate white flowers, each secured with a clear glass dome on top, within a black containment pod to protect them from the black, and also to keep the roots viable while in transit. Mal reached out and touched one of the domes, looking at the perfect white blossom inside of it. Its petals were delicate and so thin they were almost translucent. There were a few buds on each stem, and at least one or two that were in full bloom. The stems were a vibrant green, and the core of each flower was pale yellow, with small black hairs protruding from the centers. 

“Ahem,” the king said with a small cough, snapping Mal out his almost trancelike state, “And, you have brought something to trade with us in kind?”

“Right, yes, of course,” Mal said, standing op straight, and reaching into the pocket that lined the inside of his long brown duster. He withdrew a containment pod of his own, not dissimilar from the ones protecting the flowers. Inside were a dozen black pebble-like looking eggs. He handed the pod over to the attendant, who set in in the queen’s waiting hands.  
“Eggs of the bombyx mori,” she breathed, her wide eyes glowing with excitement. 

“Yes ma’am, and they come directly from Verbena, in the Kalidasa System. You won’t find no better worms that those you’ve got right there…once they hatch of course.”

“Do you have the sample for us as well?” asked King Tristan.

“It’s on the bottom of the pod,” Mal replied. 

Queen Jaelle excitedly, but carefully turned the containment chamber over, and removed the delicate piece of raw silk that was secured there. She fingered the textile with the expert touch of a connoisseur. She closed her eyes and furrowed her brow as she concentrated, determining its quality. When she opened them again, her eyes were sharp and decisive.   
“This silk, it is the finest I have ever felt. Our fabricators here on Terre D’Ange are very talented, we have carried our skills with us for generations, but this, and it is so delicate, and lightweight, so soft!”

“I’m happy you’re pleased ma’am. They say that the silkworms on Verbena were carried from Earth that Was, and are the descendants of worms from Ancient China, and that the line goes back at least 6,000 years. You’re not likely to find any better stuff in the ‘Verse.”

The queen smiled at him, obviously thrilled. She leaned over and whispered in her husband’s ear.

“Excellent,” he announced, “We accept your trade.”

Mal bowed again, and made to leave the audience chamber and return to his ship.

“Does my lord Captain not even wish to sample his own goods?”

This stopped him in his tracks, “And how does one sample a flower my…queen…?”

She chuckled, and made a gesture with her hand. In an instant, a second attendant had appeared, carrying with him a small silver tray. On that tray were three very small crystal glasses, each filled with a clear liquid. 

“This is what we call joie,” she said, “it is the distilled liquor of the snowdrop, and is our primary export. By cultivating these blossoms himself, your ‘Badger’ could turn quite a tidy profit indeed. Please my lord Captain, try some.”

Never one to turn down free alcohol, especially after the chètóuchèwěi de gǒu shǐ he was used to fermenting on his own ship, Mal took the small glass and tossed it back in a single gulp.  
Ah, how it burned! It felt like fire and ice trickling down his throat. Never before had he tasted anything like this, sweet and strong and sharp, all at once. It tasted of springtime, floral but with a touch of fruit…pear, or lychee…Mal couldn’t quite put his finger on it. 

“That’s amazing,” he told her honestly, “and you say you cultivated it on Earth that Was as well?”

“We did, it may be that these flowers have a history as old as these silkworms you have brought us today. It is a fair trade, and well done.”

“You highnesses, if I may…how did you wind up here? I’ve seen my share of planets in the ‘Verse, and most of ‘em don’t look a thing like this. Those that do are near always under the control of the Alliance. How did you come to have such a lush planet, and still retain your independence?”

The royal couple shared a glance, and after a moment, King Tristan spoke.

“Captain Reynolds, will you join us in our private antechamber?”

“Will there be more joie?” 

“If you like.”

“Then yes, I will. Thank you.”

The king and queen rose from their thrones, in graceful fluid motions that reminded him again of Inara. They beckoned him to follow them through the door that was located behind the dais, which he did. 

Through the door was a small, private room, with a round table and five chairs. The king and queen sat in two of them, and Mal sat in one on across the table. 

“Have you heard the tale of Blessed Elua, and the angel Naamah my lord Captain?”

“No ma’am, and please, Mal will do me just fine.”

“Of course. You must call us by our given names as well then, as you are not are subject and under no obligation to offer such formality.”

With that out of the way, Jaelle told Mal the story of Blessed Elua, Naamah, and the history of Terre D’Ange, back on Earth that Was. 

“That is quite some story ma’am, Jaelle. But I still don’t understand what that history has to do with the Alliance, and how you escaped from their rule.”

“When we came to this planet, we found that it was beautiful beyond our expectations. As you have said, many a planet is not so fortunate, and the terraforming did not take nearly so well, leaving only a large ball of dust, the only amenity being oxygen to breathe, and mayhap enough water to keep a civilization from perishing. 

When our forefathers were given this planet, we were asked to swear fealty to the Alliance. Having been an independent nation for our entire history, and having such deeply rooted beliefs and traditions, it was only natural that we balked at such an offer. However, considering the history of our country, we were able to broker an arrangement with those that headed the Alliance at the time.

Once in every generation, our planet will send a tribute to Londinium, to serve the Prime Minister and other high ranking members of Parliament. Of course, she does not receive the ranking of ‘Companion,’ nor does she, sometimes he, have any real rights at all. 

We have always been a people who hold love in the highest regard, and freedom of choice is imperative. We would never send a courtesan into indenture without their consent. And we have been given assurances that they will never come to harm, and will be shown every courtesy a hostage can possibly be shown. 

Our tributes are chosen from one of our thirteen houses, and as I have said, their bond us always voluntary. Anything less would be tantamount to blasphemy. Still, it is a sacrifice we make, in order to maintain our freedom, which is so dear to us.”

Mal, who had been leaning forward in his chair with rapt attention, sat back with a whoosh, running one hand through his hair. He had never heard of such an agreement being made with the Alliance, and he couldn’t help be wonder if other such arrangements had been made, or if this one planet was the outlier. 

“That’s a quite a tale you’ve spun, and I’m most grateful you’ve chosen to share it with me,” he said reticently. In all truth, he wasn’t sure why they had. This kind of story was unheard of, and he was sure the Alliance wanted it kept that way. 

“It is not a bother,” Tristan replied, “Your name is not unknown to us Malcolm Reynolds, the leader of the last stand against the Alliance at Serenity Valley. We are happy to tell you our story, and how we came to be. We ask only that you respect out wish for discretion, and be wary to whom you repeat what we have told you today.”

“I wouldn’t dream of telling a soul.”

“Oh no, you misunderstand, we want the truth to be known, we support the Independence privately, as we are not permitted to outright defiance. Still, we wish to offer hope to other planets, we too want to see the strong hand of the Alliance crushed, and we want peace and freedom for all of the children of the ‘Verse. Please, share this sanguinity with others whom you may come across, but use caution with whom you tell.”

“In other words,” said Jaelle, “please do not broadcast it on a wave across the ‘Verse.”

Mal laughed at the thought. The Alliance would surely have his head should he attempt such an act. 

“You have my word, highnesses, that I will make sure your tale is knows, and I’m not likely to be broadcasting any waves in the near future, not regarding your planets’ secrets, or the secrets of any other.”

“Well and good,” Jaelle responded with a smile, her eyes crinkling slightly, “please Captain Reynolds, Mal, we wish you to accept this gift as a token of our esteem, and our gratitude for you visiting out planet.”

With those words, she turned and reached into a large wooden chest which was behind her. She pulled out a beautiful, blown glass bottle about the size of Mal’s fist. Inside was more of the fiery liquor called joie. 

“Please take this bottle with you, and keep our remembrance in your heart. We know you are not a child of Blessed Elua, but we ask also that you try and remember his precept, ‘love as thou wilt’. Carry his words with you, like this bottle, and try to find love where you may.”

“Thank you,” he said, reaching for the proffered bottle, “I will do my best.”

“Tis all we ask. And now Captain Reynolds, you must excuse us, for we have matter of state to attend to, and I know that my wife is anxious to see that her eggs are taken directly to their custodians, that they might be properly cared for and cultivated.”

The royal couple rose from their seats, and Mal did the same. He bowed once more, and then exited their private antechamber. 

He was greeted back in the main audience hall by the same grey-clad guards who had brought him in before.

“We have an attendant who will escort you back to your ship my lord Captain, to ensure the safe transport of your cargo.”

“My thanks, but that won’t be necessary, I don’t have need of an escort.”

“Our king insists, my lord.”

“Well, not wanting to offer offense to his highness, I accept.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cónglái méiyǒu zài wǒ suǒyǒu de rìzi: Never in all my days…
> 
> Chètóuchèwěi de gǒu shǐ: Complete and utter shit


	10. Epilogue

As Mal and the attendant walked back through the palace, and the gardens outside, through the streets of The City of Elua, and back to his ship, his thoughts lingered on the strange traditions and beliefs of these people, and what they had sacrificed in order to maintain their freedom. 

He too had sacrificed much, more that he’d ever expected to when he was growing up on Shadow, more than he’d anticipated when he’d joined the Independence Army. Was it worth it? He had a ship, he had a crew that was more like family, and he had the black but did he have love? It wasn’t something he had sought. He’d had companionship yes, Nandi had been proof of that. 

But where had his tryst with Nandi gotten him? One night of passion, pleasure greater than he’d ever known, and now Inara would be leaving his ship. This was her last job, she’d made that clear enough. When they returned to Persephone to bring Badger these snowdrops, Inara would be staying on the ground. Unbidden, a tear came to his eye. 

“My lord Captain?” the attendant asked him, “is that your ship?”

And it was. Serenity came into his line of sight as he crested a small hill. His beloved boat, waiting to take him back out into the inky blackness of space, and to take him far from this planet. 

“Yes, that’s my ship,” he replied, his voice thick with emotion. From all directions, Mal saw his crew returning home. 

Kaylee, looking happier and more relaxed that he could reckon he’d ever seen her. For once she wasn’t giving the doctor a sideways glance. She had a big smile on her face, and ran up to him when she saw him coming.

“Cap ‘in!” she exclaimed, “This is the best planet I think I’ve seen! Sure is shiny, and the people are so…shiny!”

He chuckled, and returned her embrace. 

The Shepherd, swaying slightly as he came closer. 

“Mighty fine planet, Captain. Mighty fine planet indeed.”

River, who was dancing. Mal realized he had never seen her dance before, and had to admit that she was as good as Simon had told them. She too looked at peace, which was a thing Mal had never thought he would ever see.

Speaking of the good doctor, for once it was he who was staring intently at Kaylee. She didn’t notice him of course, but he could have bored a hole in the back of her head the way he was looking at her.

Wash and Zoe came walking UP, Zoe with her usual nonchalant swagger, and Wash running towards the ship with all the excitement of a colt who has just fond his legs. 

“Look Mal! I gotta candle!” He exclaimed, holding it overhead like a trophy.

“That’s great Wash. You can, uh, light it later. For now, I need you to prepare the ship for takeoff.”

“Aye aye Captain,” he said, handing the candle back to Zoe and heading into his cockpit. Mal shrugged, unsure of the candle’s significance. Probably some crazy new sex toy. 

Last, but not least, came Inara. She was walking slowly, and with all the grace and elegance of those born to this planet. 

“Mal,” she said in acknowledgement to him, her brown doe eyes locked on to his with an intensity he had never seen before. 

“Inara,” he replied with a nod. 

God, there were so many things he wanted to say to her I that moment. Not the least of which was “Don’t leave,” but he knew that would be a fruitless endeavor. 

Instead, he showed her the bottle of joie he had been given as a gift, and simply asked her, “wanna drink?”

Her eyes lit up slightly, and she inclined her head, “That would be lovely; perhaps we can enjoy it in my shuttle?”

Mal balked slightly, he had never, never before been invited into Inara’s shuttle. As though he were a guest on his own ship, he nodded. He had no words to speak to her, he knew there were none he could offer. 

He followed her back into Serenity, and from there into her shuttle. She went to her bureau and pulled out two ceremonial tea glasses, then turned back to him.

“Can you pour the drinks please?”

Again, Mal merely nodded. He poured them each a glass of joie and they both drank it.

Inara swore out loud at its strength and Mal laughed it the sound of it. She lowered her eyes momentarily, as though she were unsure of herself, but then she took a step forward, closing the gap between them and looked up, meeting his gaze.

“This doesn’t change anything. I’m still leaving when we reach Persephone.”

“I know you are. And what doesn’t change what?”

Without making another sound, she leaned in, rose up onto her toes, and pressed her mouth against his. 

“That…was…unexpected.”

“To say the least,” she replied. 

“So, nothing changes after this, huh?”

“No. It’s long past the time when I should have left Serenity. I miss my home, and plan to gain transport back to Sihnon from Persephone. Besides, things between us have become…complicated.”

“And you think kissing me will uncomplicated things?”

She laughed slightly, her voice like music to his ears, “No, I fear they will complicate things further to be honest. But, I have learned things on this planet, and I don’t feel it would be right for us to part without…exploring what might have been.”

“Right, exploring. Good idea,” he said, his voice thick and he coughed to clear it, “well, I hate to break it to you, but I ain’t paying you.”

Her eyes lost their glow and turned sharp at that, “I never expected you to. You know what, this was a bad idea. Maybe we shouldn’t do this, maybe we-“

She never had the chance to finish her thought, because Mal wrapped his arms around her waist then and pulled her close, kissing her with the fierceness of a man on the brink of starvation. 

“I may have learned a few things on this planet too,” he murmured softly against her mouth, “and I think that causing further complication might not be such a bad idea after all.”

They both felt the floor beneath them tremble as the ship lifted off, heading back out into the black. They looked at one another again, their eyes dark with desire, and both knew that nothing in the ‘Verse could ever be the same again. 

Terre D’Ange had changed them all.


End file.
